Hybrid SUV coming to US mid-2018; promises 31 miles of all-electric range

October 11, 2017

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Ready or not, the electric (or at least electrified) SUVs are coming: Last week, Jaguar Land Rover announced a plug-in Range Rover Sport; the automaker has just confirmed that the non-sport Range Rover will also get a plug-in variant, dubbed the P400e, for the 2019 model year. This is further evidence of JLR’s intention to roll out hybrid versions of all of their offerings by 2020, in addition to launching a range of pure electric vehicles.

In theory, an electrified system could serve up immediate low-end grunt thanks to the electric motors while offering the fuel economy benefits of a downsized engine. This Range Rover will get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder Ingenium gas engine, which is only good for 296 hp on its own; add in the 85 kW electric motor, which is housed within the vehicle’s eight-speed transmission, and the SUV will put out a total of 398 hp and a respectable 472 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 times are a stated 6.4 seconds, but if you’re not driving like a maniac, the P400e will get up to 31 miles of all-electric range.

Under the skin of the Range Rover P400e. The battery in in the back, and the motor is tucked into the housing of the eight-speed automatic transmission.

The plug-in Range Rovers will join a fleet of hybrid SUVs like the Jeep Wrangler and the Mitsubishi Outlander -- within the next few years, there should be an electrified truck for all budgets. If the JLR angle seems vaguely familiar, we’ll note that long, long ago, way back in 2006, Land Rover -- then a Ford property -- rolled out its hybrid e-Terrain Technology Concept at the Geneva motor show. Some ideas never die.

JLR says the plug-in Range Rover P400e should be available in the U.S. market by summer 2018; pricing for the variant has not yet been announced.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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